Empowering Youth

As part of the next government, the Social Democrats will have a focus on delivering better outcomes and brighter futures for young people in Ireland.

Our policies will increase funding for services for young people in areas like youth work, education, mental health, sport and recreation, and transport, and also take measures to increase youth participation in civic life.

By valuing the voice of young people, we recognise the important role they can play in Irish society.

We would also improve funding for youth mental health, to help deal with the explosion of need in this area over recent years, and the ever-increasing waiting lists for services. And we want to work towards a situation where all schools (primary and secondary) have access to at least one specialist emotional counsellor/therapist as a permanent member of the staff.

Our Priorities for Young People

• Increase funding for youth work services, restoring youth work funding to pre-austerity levels
• Create a €150 Sports and Cultural Activity voucher for children aged 6 to 18
• Increase investment in sports and recreation facilities
• Provide free public transport for under 18s
• Create a Culture Card valued at €200 for 18-24 year-olds
• Enact measures to improve youth mental health services, including all schools having at least one specialist emotional counsellor/therapist on staff
• Reduce third level fees by phasing out the student contribution charge, and increase funding to the SUSI grant scheme

Find Out More

You can read more about our policies and plans in our Youth Manifesto, linked below.